Last Thankful

I am thankful for my friends. I have never had a lot of close friends at one time for a reason. I would rather really know my friends than say that I have a lot of friends. I believe when it comes to friends it is the quality not the quantity that counts.

Thankful Nov.26

I can't believe that I will be done with my "thankful" posts tomorrow! I would say that I will make this one good for that reason, but I think I have used the biggies.

I am thankful to have reliable trasportation. My van runs well, for the most part. It fits all of my kids, Haley, and I have two more seat belts in the back. It doesn't have heat or air conditioning (that's why I said "for the most part"), but it runs. It is warmer than being in the cold wind in the winter. It is automatic, so I don't have to worry about shifting.

Last winter, the van wasn't running. I had to drive John's Explorer. It has a manual truck trasmission. It was not fun. Yes, we were warmer with the heat. My right arm did get a lot stronger. I was so glad when the van was fixed well enough for me to drive.

The Fench Fry Adventure

Tonight I gave my children corn dogs and french fries for dinner and sat them down to watch Charlie Brown. After finishing my food I left the living room to get other stuff done. Who know that was when the adventure would start. A little while later Noel started screaming in pain and running to the bathroom. She had been constipated earlier so I figured she was having more bathroom problems. She came running back to me crying. I asked her if her bum hurt. She said that her nose hurt and she needed a kleenex. I was confused. I asked her why. "Because I have a french fry in my nose!" she cried. I told Eric to go get me some tissue. I had her blow her nose many times. I saw no fry. I looked in her nose. There it was. A small piece of fry stuck so far up her nose that I wouldn't be able to try to squeeze it out. I didn't know what to do. I called John's mom. I figured after that many boys she had gone through it all. She hadn't gone through this. Her suggestion was either a booger sucker or tweezers. I got off the phone, took Noel to my room, layed her on the bed with one of her babies, and started "surgery." I tried the tweezers first. I couldn't get a hold of the darn thing. I tried one sucker. It didn't work. I tried a different sucker. It pulled the fry most of the way out. I had to use the tweezers to get it out the rest of the way. When it was all said and done the fry was about the size of a small Lego (the ones that have just one bump). I won't post a picture of the fry because no one wants to see a booger covered fry.

Thankful Nov.25

I am thankful for my dad. He raised me basically alone from the time I was 13 (maybe even longer considering my mom's state of mind). He sacrificed for me. He taught me integrity and responsibility. He was the best dad I could have asked for in a confusing tough world. I always wished he would have been more affectionate towards me, but when I think about it his parents aren't real affectionate either. When I call my dad now he always talks to me, even if it is just for a little while. I don't know what I am going to do when he moves to Indiana. I think I am still in denial about that one. I am hoping that they will do the same as they did last year and just say that they will be here for at least another year. It was torture when he and Bev were gone for more than a month.

Thankful Nov. 24

I know I didn't post yesterday. I will make up for it today.

I am thankful for my ability to cook for my family. We would be spending way too much on food if I didn't know how to cook. I even save us a bit more money by making quite a bit from scratch. I am glad that my mom took the time to teach me the basics of reading a recipe so that I can cook for my family.

I am thankful for my mom. I love my mom, and I wish that I could tell her. My mom had many problems, but through it all she loved me and I loved her. My mom taught me a lot about life. She taught me how to be a mom. She taught me basic sewing and basic cooking. She gave me more details about child birth than any 13 or 14 year old that I knew. She told me things that most moms wait until their children are in that stage of life as a teenager. Sometimes I wonder if somewhere deep inside she knew she wasn't going to live to see me get married or have children. I don't know if that is what made her give me so much info or just because that is the way that she was. Either way, I am glad she talked to me that way. I wish I hadn't spent so much time being mad at her when I was a teenager. I love my mom. I hope anyone who actually reads this thinks about their mom, and doesn't take her for granted. If you are mad at your mom do what you can to mend your relationship. You never know if there is going to be a tragic accident that takes her away.

A Night Away

Friday night Sean and Eric spent the night at my sister's (Aunt My) and Noel at my dad's. When I picked them up on Saturday there were interesting little stories about all of them.

Sean had an eventful night. Having not been fed dinner until 9pm, he threw up around 9:15 (my kids have weird tummies). I ended up spending a good amount of time on the phone trying to figure out if he was sick or if it was just his weak tummy. When he went to sleep an hour after throwing up, she and I decided it must have just been the weak tummy, so we called it a night. The next morning, she told me that around 3am she woke up with Sean in her bed. Apparently he had a bad dream.

Eric informed me that he slept on My's couch and it was so comfy that he didn't even have to stretch when he woke up.

Grandma Bev gave the most interesting update. It seems that Noel got herself up Saturday, went into the bathroom, took off her jammies and panties, and went back on the couch (naked) and just waited for Grandma and Grandpa to get up. When they came out of their room the first thing that they saw was my naked daughter sprawled out on the couch.

I am Thankful for Noel

Noel today on her new tricycle!

Noel a few days before she turned 2.

Noel ejoying her cake on her first birthday.

Noel's first bath in the delivery room.
She is brand spanking new!

Me about a month before Noel was born.

Happy Birthday Noel!

Thankful Nov. 21

I am thankful for good books. (Thank you, Tara for writing about books today!) I didn't really enjoy reading as a kid. I didn't really start reading just for fun until I worked down town and had a bus ride with no one to talk to. I realized then that there are some wonderful books out there. I just had to find the ones that I really liked. I don't read as often as I used to, but I try to read when I get the chance.
I am also glad that there are good kids books. I was a little worried that Eric wouldn't like to read chapter books when they made him make the transition at school (after all that is when I lost my interest). I was wrong. He loves Magic Tree House, Junie B. Jones, A to Z Mysteries, and really wishes the words weren't so hard to read in Geronimo Stilton books. Sean is really excelling in his reading too. I am always surprised at how well he reads. He loves the "be good" books (I think they are some of the most boring books ever made). Noel just loves to be read to.

Thankful Nov. 20

Today, I am thankful to have the gospel in my life. I sometimes have a hard time with my testimony, but I do still have one. I know that my life would be nothing without God and my membership in His church. I have lived through a lot (at least I feel that way). The gospel of Jesus Christ has always been there for me. I do realize that my life could be worse, but God knows me and understands what I can handle and won't give me more than I can handle (no matter how much it doesn't feel that way during my trials).

Thankful Nov. 19

Today I am thankful for the health of my children. Yesterday, Eric was trowing up and had a fever. It turned my whole world upside down. He seems to be doing better to day, but he is still pale. When my kids get sick I totally freak out. I think it is because they are so rarely sick. I am lucky to have kids that do catch the occasional cold, but not much more than that. Over all my children are healthily kids. (I guess that means that I am doing something right.)

My Worst Date

This will look like a good date compared to Carries long list of the worst dates I have ever heard of. I really had mostly normal dates, dinner and movie kind of stuff.
I would have to say that my worst date did involve a movie and dinner. It was a Valentines Day date. I had to drive because I was the one that had a car. That wasn't a big deal. I was used to that. I picked him up and the first thing he said was, "You're paying, right?" I informed him that my last paycheck, along with most of my paychecks, went to my car payment. I did not have the money to pay for a date. Plus, he asked me out. He was going to pay. That made the mood awkward. We ended up having dinner at Denny's. (Not too unusual for a high school date.) Then he had supposably picked out the perfect movie. We went to the mall and he baught tickets for "Happy Gilmore." It wasn't that I didn't like the movie (although I am not a big Adam Sandler fan now). It was Valentines Day. The type of movie I could think of that would be worse would have been a shoot 'em up movie (not that I don't like those kind of movies either). We didn't date after that date.

I am tagging anyone who want to write about this (except Carrie since was already tagged).

Thankful Nov. 18

Today I am thankful for mouse traps. Yes, you read that right. Before the mouse traps, I would have to find mice dead in the hall that Lady caught (presents from our loving cat). She seemed to always get them sometime after John left for work (he leaves around 4:15). That left me to take care of the horrible things. Luckily, Eric and Sean started getting "brave" enough to "help mom" in that department. They even got a system down. Sean would use the broom, and Eric would hold the dustpan and dump the mouse in the trash in the garage. For some reason, the last few months have been the worst when it comes to mice in our house. We do live backed up to a drainage ditch and across the street from a vacant field, so I don't see it getting better any time soon. For now, I will just let John find good places to put the traps that I rarely look, and he can keep on the gross disposing job.

Thankful Nov. 17

Yes, I do realize that I have not posted this in a few days (although I do think that having an answer to my prayers on Saturday counts big time). I am going to have to make up for that in today's post.

1. I am thankful for the lady that holds the stop sign at the school in the morning. (I don't know her name.) We walk to school on the days that are nice and my kids are ready on time. It is getting to be less often, but we try to get out the door on time every morning. Today, my boys were racing to school. She saw them coming and went out into the crosswalk before they got there, almost getting hit by a car herself. (My boys have a habit of not stopping and looking for cars at cross walks.) It was a little annoying that the person driving that car didn't see fit to stop until she almost hit the one holding the sign. I very much appreciate the efforts to keep my children safe.

2. I am thankful for bread. I know that sound silly, but my kids eat a lot of bread and it is cheap. My kids' favorite lunch is peanut butter and jelly. That means that is pretty much all they eat for lunch with a few exceptions. When we run out of cereal and money, my kids gladly have toast for breakfast. I have had a few comments when I do my grocery shopping about how much bread I buy. It is necessary for my family. We can go through as much as a loaf of bread a day!

3. I am thankful for my sister. I love my sister very much. When I talk to her my day gets better. I couldn't imagine life without her.

Answer to a Prayer

I have been feeling a little blah lately. I have been feeling alone and stuck. I prayed this morning to find out what I should do with my self. My immediate thought (most of the answers to my prayers come from thoughts) was that I need to have at least one hour a week where I do something for myself. I need to have some time that I don't have anyone else to answer to. The next thing that I thought was I needed to get online and find the name of the guy that did the wonderful lecture that I saw on Oprah over the summer. (I am not an avid Oprah watcher, but I have been know to watch here and there.) I got onto the Oprah web sit and searched "cancer" because that was one thing that I remembered about him. I found the name Randy Pausch. The video of his lecture from Oprah was not there. I googled Randy Pausch. I found what I was looking for. I found his last lecture. I found the full version, not just the paraphrased one that he gave on the show. It was even better than I remembered. This was an hour long talk that captivated me and inspired me. I don't know how to load videos on this sight, but I will post the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

Thankful Nov. 14

This is getting harder. I know that for the most part I have mentioned little things. We will see if I can do this for another two weeks. Hopefully, no one is getting bored of this stuff yet.

Today, I am thankful that I don't watch the news as much as I used to. I hear other people talk about how recent news is either stressing them out or making them sad. I am so glad that I don't have to deal with the extra pressures of knowing what is going on in the world right now. I am the kind of person that would let the current headlines sadden me or stress me out. I have been told that I am an empathetic person. I do like that about myself. It just seems to add some stress that I just cannot handle right now. My life is hectic enough.

Pretty Hair

As many know, Noel got her first haircut Tuesday. It wasn't cut much. Kelli, my haircutting expert sister-in-law, mostly trimmed it and gave her slight layers to blend in the spot that we had to cut gum out of her hair on Sunday. On Sunday when I told her that she was going to have to get her hair cut, she said, "But my hair is pretty," while pouting. We assured her that her hair would be pretty again. Luckily, Kelli was available to cut her hair only a few days latter. Until then, I just put her hair in pony tails. She cried as soon as Kelli showed up on Tuesday and even more when we got her ready to have a hair cut. I told her that Kelli was going to make her hair pretty again. She loves her new hair cut! The only real noticeable difference is in the front (other than the fact that her hair is straighter in the back.)



Fast forward to today. Sean was pulling her hair to torture her (that's what brothers do best, right). Noel yells, "Don't pull my PRETTY hair!"

***Just a side note. Her face was clean not too long before this picture was taken. I just can't get her to keep it clean. I have no idea what she got into this time.

Thankful Nov. 13

Today I am thankful for my vacuum. I know that may sound silly, but until the end of July I didn't have a vacuum that worked very well (thank you, Bev).

I was just looking under my kitchen table thinking, "Gross! That really needs to be vacuumed." That is when I remembered that I am really lucky to have a vacuum that WILL vacuum that grossness up.

Dumb Laws

I copied this from an email my sister sent to me.

Honk if you pass
Rural New Jersey might sound like a never-ending New Year’s Eve party if everybody obeyed the law. State law requires drivers to honk the horn when passing another vehicle going in the same direction outside a business or residential district.
However, watch it in Little Rock, Ark., where the law says “no person shall sound the horn on a vehicle at any place where cold drinks or sandwiches are served after 9 p.m.”
Honking at sandwich shops is OK in University City, Mo. – so long as you honk in your own car. It’s illegal to honk the horn of someone else’s.
Kindly keep your cattle in the car
Hey, city slicker – you’ll have to keep that cow in your vehicle in Topeka, Kan. The city has made it “unlawful for any person to suffer or permit any livestock owned or controlled by such person to run at large, or to drive any herd of cattle, horses, mules or hogs, or any flock of sheep, upon any street in the city.”

You’ll need permission to throw that brick
In Mount Vernon, Iowa, you’re not allowed to shoot arrows or throw bricks onto any street or highway without the City Council’s written consent.

Clean up your act
In San Francisco, it’s illegal to wipe a vehicle with used underwear and to pile horse manure more than six feet high on any street corner.

Unhand that nozzle!
In Oregon and New Jersey, you cannot pump your own gas. Supposedly this practice keeps gasoline prices lower in those states, because insurance costs for gas stations go down if attendants instead of customers pump the gas – but, on the other hand, that attendant must be paid, whereas you pump for free. So the jury’s out on the reasons for this one.

Animal and vegetable antics
Palm Springs, Calif., forbids anyone from walking a camel down the main street, Palm Canyon Drive, between 4 and 6 p.m.
Hunting from moving vehicles is illegal in several states, including Connecticut and Tennessee, where only whale hunting by that method is allowed.
Thou shalt not sow a vegetable garden in any public street in Chico, Calif. The law, however, does not forbid flower gardens.

No pillows on the roadbed
No matter how sleepy you get, you are not allowed to snooze in the middle of any street in Eureka, Calif.
Reno, Nev., won’t let you park yourself on a bench or chair in the middle of its roads, either.
As long as we’re on a roll, here are a few more tips to the lawful:
Yield to peacocks in Arcadia, Calif.
Don’t jump into a passing vehicle in Glendale, Calif.
Don’t change clothes in your car at the beach in Destin, Fla.
Don’t keep a car door open longer than is necessary in Oregon.
Don’t drive through playgrounds in Dublin, Ga.

How serious are they?
Serious. Screeching your tires in Derby, Kan., could get you 30 days in Bad Boys’ Bed & Breakfast.
And if you think switching back to a one-horsepower hay-burner might get you away from the long arm of the law, consider this: In Texarkana, Texas, it’s illegal to ride a horse at night without taillights.

Thankful Nov. 12

I am thankful for the patience of others. I am sometimes slow (at lest it seems that way to me). I am so glad that my friends and family love me anyway and deal with explaining thing to me again. I am thankful that my kids love me anyway and are willing to ask for that drink of water with ice again. I am thankful that while I am trying to think of the word that I was going to use to describe something, most people listen to my ramblings describing the word and accept that as whatever I was going to say to begin with. (I hope that this all gets better when I actually call the doctor and get back on my meds.)

Thankful Nov. 11

I am thankful that I have the opportunity to watch a sweet little girl three days a week. Haley is such a good little girl and plays so nicely with my kids. Sometimes I find myself wishing that my kids were as well behaved as her. She does have her moments of insanity, but they are usually egged on by my crazy boys.